The evolution of football teams into modern entertainment companies has prompted the Club to take direct control of content production and distribution. The body responsible for this is Milan Media House.

The project stems from the digital transformation which companies in the football industry are undertaking. The football industry is a complex one, with television rights and exclusive sponsor relationships dominating the sector.

Many different figures work together at Media House: journalists, producers, cameramen, developers, graphic designers, media planners, social managers, moderators, designers, community managers, analysts and system integrators. All of the different figures and communication channels impact on the end-client experience.

Milan Media House is based around an omni-channel system (TV / Digital and social), with content and big data brought together under a single, non-technical concept: RELATIONSHIPS. Media House has been designed to manage the Club’s relationship with various stakeholders within an increasingly innovative and personal dynamic.

On 1 July 2016, the new www.acmilan.com website and Milan TV channel were launched.

One of AC Milan’s main objectives for the future is to increase traffic on its official channels. The aim is to improve the Club’s ability to fill its digital channels with content not just of a sporting nature. More specifically, the Club will try to strengthen its relationship with the fans via a bespoke app designed to become the main means of interaction with supporters. In order to support the Club’s activities across its digital channels, the Club will develop a data analytics system capable of storing, managing and processing the large quantities of data produced by online interactions of this nature so that we can make best use of this.

In addition to strengthening our relationship with our clients, we also aim to improve relations within the business by taking prompt action to accommodate the requirements of internal staff and departments.

These initiatives will have an international focus. Indeed, AC Milan was one of nine top clubs which formed Dugout, a free digital platform which allows fans from all over the world to access exclusive multimedia content.

In Italy

Casa Milan Village is a celebration of fun, football and all things red and black. It is held in Piazza Gino Valle – the space in front of the Club’s headquarters – and is free to the public.

The second edition of the initiative was a great opportunity for lovers of sport, music and art, who were able to experience a range of unforgettable activities across 10, 11, 12 and 13 September 2015.

There were plenty of activities suitable for young and old: children’s face painting, inflatables, football pitches, activities at the nine sponsor stands, table football and refreshments, all of which took place to the sound of live musical entertainment.

Casa Milan Village kicked off with the official presentation of the first team, as the players and coach came together with fans in the square for a special meet and greet ahead of the Milan derby against Inter.

Milan Glorie also took part in the important event, with several former Rossoneri players meeting fans attending the initiative. Lucky supporters were even able to have a kickabout and learn the secrets of some of the greatest players ever to don the red and black jersey. A special five-a-side football pitch set up for the occasion was the setting for the CASA MILAN CUP BY PREMIUM, which took place over the four-day event. The winning team was presented with a trophy at the end of the tournament and won tickets to the AC Milan v USC Palermo match on 19 September 2015.

Music was a big part of the event. A DJ set from Blocco Recordz warmed the crowd up for Emis Killa and Saturnino Celani’s performance of #rossoneri, a song the duo wrote specially for AC Milan and the Club’s fans. Zero Assoluto also entertained the supporters with a live performance as special guests of the Music Village by Radio Italia.

Alongside Mediaset Premium, who were one of the sponsors of the event, there was also plenty of street art on show at the village, with Cheone and Gep painting a wall set up in Piazza Valle while the fans watched on.

With thousands of people and many sponsors taking part, Casa Milan Village confirmed its status as an important opportunity for the Club to interact with its fans, thus strengthening the supporters’ sense of belonging to and passion for the Rossoneri.

Around the world

The AC Milan first team has been participating in the International Champions Cup since 2014. Played during the summer, the competition – which is assuming an increasingly important position in the international football panorama – brings top-level football to areas where the sport is growing in popularity, such as China, South-East Asia and the United States. Matches are contested by leading European clubs, creating unique experiences which capture the imagination of fans all over the world.

As part of the Club’s 2015/2016 pre-season preparations, AC Milan visited China for the first time since 2011, when the Rossoneri beat Inter in Beijing to win the Italian Super Cup. The bond between AC Milan and China is a strong one: Serie A clubs – including AC Milan – have been visiting the country since the 1980s, with AC Milan one of the most popular clubs in a country which is home to nearly a third of the 380 million Rossoneri fans around the world.

The tour of China lasted ten days, with the first team playing two matches – against FC Internazionale and Real Madrid CF in Shenzhen and Shanghai respectively. Huge numbers of local Rossoneri fans supported the team throughout their stay in China.

As well as the football, a series of activities involving the players and coaching staff were organised to strengthen the bond between AC Milan and the Chinese people. The squad paid a visit to the headquarters of Club sponsor Huawei, while there were several open training sessions, an interactive event between players and fans at the adidas Football Base at Expo 2010, a number of meet and greets with supporters and a series of local media commitments. The packed schedule meant that the players combined their physical, technical and tactical preparation with activities designed to bolster relations with local stakeholders.

To coincide with the tour, AC Milan decided to open its own Wechat account to stand alongside its existing accounts on other Chinese digital platforms such as Sina Weibo and YouKu; the move was a great success for the Club, which consolidated its position as one of the most digital-savvy, widely followed clubs in world football.

Several digital initiatives were organised during the tour to engage with the Club’s 320,000 followers. In total, 120 million online users were reached.

In order to maintain and consolidate the Club’s bond with its Chinese fans, AC Milan teamed up with partner Mailman to run a competition on its www.acmilanstoreasia.com online store to give fans the chance to attend the TIM Cup final against Juventus on 21 May 2016. The two lucky winners were able to experience the life of the Club up close and meet the players ahead of their arrival at the Stadio Olimpico for the hotly anticipated final.

Milan Glorie

Milan Glorie – a team made up of former AC Milan players – was founded in 2008. The team’s first appearance was a friendly match against Fiorentina on 8 October 2008, when the two sides faced off with a mix of current and former players. The aim of the match was to support the Stefano Borgonovo foundation, which works to raise funds for scientific research into ALS disease, which the Rossoneri great was suffering from. Since then, Milan Glorie has contested a number of high-profile charity matches organised to raise funds for charitable initiatives supported by the Milan Foundation and local not-for-profit organisations. In June 2010, Milan Glorie travelled to the Santiago Bernabeu to take part in the Corazon Classic Match in front of 80,000 spectators. Following this game, Milan Glorie took on several new objectives, such as ensuring increased visibility for the Club by involving Rossoneri legends, helping to develop Club initiatives around the world and assisting with commercial activities for AC Milan’s global sponsors.

Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, Georgia, Finland, Argentina, Indonesia, Japan, Iran, Canada, China, Belarus and the United Arab Emirates are just some of the countries in which Milan Glorie have played in front of packed-out stadiums. In the last five years alone, over 600,000 fans have watched the Glorie in action.

Over 60 players have turned out for the team, many of whom won the biggest trophies in the game during their professional careers.

Thanks to Milan Glorie, the Club is able to bolster its offering for fans and commercial partners through content linked to our rich history, preserving and indeed expanding our geographical presence thanks to the participation of revered Club ambassadors. The team features some of the world’s most famous football legends: players who are famous everywhere they go and loved by fans old and young.

Last season Milan Glorie played a number of matches in China, an area of crucial importance for the Club. The tour – which took in two visits in November 2015 and May 2016 – helped to consolidate AC Milan’s stature in the country, with the Club becoming the most popular Italian team on social media in China.

The Milan Glorie tour took in three key locations: Taizhou, Shanghai and Nanning. In addition to friendly matches, the following events for fans and commercial partners were organised:

The entire tour was covered by AC Milan’s official social media profiles in Chinese (WeChat, Youku and Tencent), which published exclusive content for the Club’s many Chinese fans. AC Milan also launched a Chinese-language website on 15 March 2016.

The 2016/2017 season is already shaping up to be a packed one for Milan Glorie, with two high-profile away trips on the horizon: the first to play Bate Borisov Legends in Belarus and the second to face Arsenal Legends in London.

GOING FORWARD

We’re working hard to improve, optimise and broaden our communication channels – including the website and our social media presence – in order to promote increased interaction with our Italian and international fans.
We want to continue to improve our fans’ experience at the stadium, starting from the moment they buy their tickets. We are optimising our ticketing system, increasing purchasing channels and sales points in Italy and abroad, improving the on-line purchasing process and creating special ticket types for groups such as families, young people, children and students.